Knitting on an Island

I've Finally Gone and Done It!

For ages now I have been thinking about starting a new blog.

Not that there is anything wrong with this one, but I have been feeling recently that the designing has been getting in the way of blogging about my private knitting and that I have been reticent about "blowing my own trumpet" on this blog because it is as much about my own life as my life as a designer.

So this morning I bit the bullet and started Guernseygal Designs

This has been a really freeing experience. Once I started writing , it was almost impossible to stop :-)

I didn't feel "guilty", I though of it more as a marketing exercise, but still a way of connecting with people who like my designs and a chance to give them an insight to my design process.

Having said that, at the moment I don't have ANY private knitting to show you ;-)

I'm test knitting a new shawlette design and have just finished a new shawl design ( they actually compliment each other) and I'll talk more about them on the design blog in due course.

I will have quite a lot of private knitting - soon - but I am waiting for yarn and beads to arrive for 3 yes 3! KAL shawls.

I decided late in the day to join in with the people knitting my Enchanter Wood shawl and I'm waiting for the yarn to get here - it's been in the post for a week so it should be here any day. I'm using a gradiance colourway that I have been lusting after since I first saw it

Jack's Beach - scroll down to see both the colourway and the photo that inspired it

I'm going bead this as well and Ellen at Earthfaire has beads in the post for me.

Next up is the already in motion MMMario KAL

I have 3 skeins of Malabrigo lace in semi solid Olive on their way from Webs from this one - this is also going to be beaded and I have some olive iridescent beads already here for this one.

Last but definitely not least is Susan Pandorf's first every mystery KAL Evenstar shawl.

This is a circular laceweight shawl starting in Feb and I have ordered a custom gradiance colourway that will graduate from silver through to mid grey - I'll show it to you when it arrives - along with all the other yarns.

I'm going to spend the weekend cuddled up in my chair - whatever the weather. I have picked up a bit of a cold and I'm determined to kick into touch as soon as possible. So I'm sitting here with my laptop, my knitting and a large cup of black coffee with hazelnut syrup, all wrapped up in my Birch shawl - and oldie but still a favourite - it's light and it's warm.

Have a good weekend.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a good time last night seeing in the New Year. Here's to a happy, successful and healthy new year for everyone!

I don't really do new years resolutions, but this year I have made one that I hope that I can keep. Basically I have resolved to look after myself better. This is more a philosophy than a resolution and encompasses all sorts of things such as eating better, taking more exercise, dressing better ( I have a whole wardrobe of clothes that never see the light of day) and most of all keeping healthy. The last few months of 2009 I seem to have picked up one virus after another - most unusual for me - I'm usually as healthy as a horse. So I will be kicking back a bit, and not overdoing things. Lots of early nights and good wholesome food.

Food has always been a big part of my life ( hence the 25lb I really ought to lose) but I have always been a keen cook and most days I cook a meal from scratch - I try not to use pre-packaged sauces and stuff, but the last few years, since there has just been the two of us at home I have lapsed a little. So from now on if we want a bolognese or curry I'll make my own - I have enough recipes :-)

On the knitting front things are going well. The Boneyard shawl is finished

I changed the pattern slightly - I followed amendments other people have done. I used yo's instead of m1's for all the increases and I finished the edge with 3 rows of garter and a picot edging.

All in all a really nice, mindless knit for the holidays - it took 3 days on and off to finish it - and used almost the entire 2 skeins of yarn, which was the whole idea.

The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Stonechat and I knitted it on my new 5mm Lantern Moon circulars.

It is the perfect size I can wrap if wound my neck cowboy style under a coat or drape it over my shoulders to ward off a chill.

I am now test knitting a new shawl/shawlette pattern that is going to be offered free to all the knitters participating in the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry. I'm not sure how we are going to make it exclusive, but I'm working on it. It will be in 2 versions, a fingering weight shawlette and a lace weight shawl so that knitters of differing skill levels can all participate.

I have a team of test knitters working away on it as we speak and I should be in a position to release is early in the spring.

Before that The Enchanted Wood KAL is starting on the 10th of January and in a moment of madness I asked Kelly at the Unique Sheep to send me a shawl set in Jack's Beach so I can knit along with the rest of them - I have already knitted 3 prototypes of this shawl, but the final design is knitted in a pretty awful yarn that I used in desperation ( it was all I had at the time) so if I want a version that I will wear, I have to knit another one!

Plans are also in hand for at least 2 more shawls/ shawlettes with the Unique Sheep later this year - I'll keep you posted - oh and the latest offering in their 6 Kingdoms yarn club is mine too - but I can't show it to you til next week because they haven't sent it out yet and I don't want to spoil the surprise :-)

So 2010 is starting the way 2009 finished - busy :-)

Ben thinks it is obviously time to take cover - this is where I found him yesterday while I was on a cleaning spree - he obviously wanted to make sure he didn't get tidied away in the process! :-)

Have a good week!

Merry Christmas! - Eventually...

Typepad has been playing up for me just recently - in fact it has been refusing to log me in!

Having just about given up I tried again this morning. Same log in, same password and voila I'm in!

We have had a lovely peaceful Christmas. Daughter made it back from the UK and has been working hard on a 4000 word essay in between naps and food breaks :-)

Son is popping home for a few days in the New Year so we will all have a few days together before things start to get back to normal.

I have been knitting up a  storm and will have loads of things to show you - soon..

As always a lot of what I am knitting is future designs so I can't show them ...yet...

I have however knitted a Boneyard Shawl that is blocking as we speak so photos in the next day or so.

I knitted it in a slightly thicker yarn than called for (DK) I used Malabrigo Worsted in Stonechat mmmmmm Malabrigo.... I never understood the allure before, but now I've worked with it I love it! I would love a whole jumper in it - if only it was washable :-(

I have just wound 2 skeins of Malabrigo lace in Applewood to do a test knit for a secret project to be announced soon and I'm also halfway through a sock design for the Bleeping Sock Games group on Ravelry.

Lots of lace designing going on here, my poor computer has been red hot with all the charts I'm creating :-)

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and I send you all my best wishes for the New year. May it be peaceful and prosperous for all of you

P.S is it just me or do you find it hilarious that I typed preposterous rather than prosperous the first time.....

Drive by posting

Where has the time gone?

I really need to make more time to blog, but what with breaking up from school, trying to get ready for Christmas, trying to master Ning - for online classes ( not doing very well there - the interface is pretty easy to understand, but I haven't had time to play as I wanted to)

I'm really excited about next year - I already have 2 new designs in the pipeline for the Unique Sheep gals and The Enchanted Wood Shawl KAL is due to start 10th Jan. the pattern is done, just needs a couple of tweaks after the test knit - I just hope people like it - it is a bit of a departure from my last one.

We are already thinking about the next KAL and I am involved with the Bleeping socks KAL on Ravelry.

Next year I am going to try and expand my design portfolio and I am working on a submission to Knitty - If I can crack that one it will raise my profile so much.

Next year I want to try and keep people more informed as to what I am doing, the real problem for me is that I try to keep my personal ( family) life separate from my knitting design life online - if only for the sake of the privacy of my family members. to do this I try to keep different applications for different puposes.

Plurk: is where I tend to chat to fellow knitters and knitterly friends

Twitter: is rarely used but is more for following a few famous people ( Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard...) but I intend to use it more for "marketing" I think.

The Blog: I intend to keep the blog going and in fact I'm thinking of opening a second. That way I can keep this one as more of a personal blog and if I open one of Typepad's micro blogs for the design stuff I can link that to my facebook account and inform fan's of what I'm up to without exposing my family too much.

Gosh! this has turned into much more than a drive by.

On the knitting front I'm not quite sure what I showed you last - this year has been a bit of a blur.

I finished Bramblewood, I then ripped the icord on the bottom and added 3 inches of 2 x 2 rib - it sits better and adds a little needed length.

I have nothing I can show you - I have been knitting stuff but it is all either for submission or actually commissioned designs so I have nothing I can show you :-(

I can't however leave you without a picture of some sort

I CAN show you this one as it has already been gifted to a good friend and colleague

Multnomah

3.25mm circular

Cheery Tree Hill Supersock - #Old rose

Ravelry link below the picture

Multnomah

 See you soon :-)

Humbug!

I'm sick again - bah!

It's only a simple stomach virus, but for someone who usually so healthy it is really frustrating.

The Doc says I can go back to work on Thursday, so until then I am curled up in my chair with my laptop, a boxed set of Criminal Minds and my knitting.

I'm also working on the first week of an online teaching course that I am taking which hopefully will put me the position to offer online courses for some of my patterns in the near future :-)

In the mean time let me share my latest frustration

I managed to do this while trying the sock on - grrr!

I now have a set of 3, 7" 2.25mm Dpns and a set of 4, 5" 2.25" - really. irritating.

Off to watch another round of the BAU catching another serial killer - who knew there were so many ;-)

Well That Was an Interesting Day!

Yesterday was my bi annual visit to the big smoke ( London) It was a foul morning weather wise - heavy rain and cross winds - which made for an interesting take off - We were late leaving because of delays getting people through security - you would have thought we were in the middle of a war zone the way they were checking us over - my bag got checked over AGAIN ( though the security guard was a knitter and had no problem with my socks in progress)

Of course being late leaving Guernsey meant we arrived late at Gatwick, I missed my normal train and had to endure the tube at rush hour.

I arrived at the seminar only a few minutes late , but missed out on my keep me awake cup of coffee so by 11 am I was struggling a bit to concentrate.

As always the content was good and the networking with fellow technicians is invaluable - we exchanged lots of hints and tips on problems we may be encountering on our networks and enjoyed a good lunch too :-)

I had hoped to make a detour as far as Stash in Putney, but the time just didn't allow for it so it was back on the tube to try and beat the evening rush hour, then a whole 1st class carriage to myself on the Gatwick Express and a couple of hours wandering around Gatwick waiting for my flight - Typical! I allowed time to get through security and when I got there - there were NO queues! I was through in 10 minutes - they really need a yarn shop in Gatwick Duty Free.......

My colleagues at work are all now waiting for me to go down with Swine Flu after sharing my space with so many strangers - lets hope not :-)The weather this weekend is set to be awful again, so I intend to hole up with my sock in progress ( a new design I'm working on) and a couple of good books I picked up at the airport.

Oh and it wouldn't be a post without a picture so I give you my Just enough Ruffles by Laura Chau

Malabrigo worsted weight  ( just over a skein) colourway Candle wax - it's a bit more orange than the colour in the photo - worked on 5mm knitpick circular - It's a really easy knit, a well written pattern and well - it's Malabrigo so the yarn is fab :-)

It only took a couple of evenings, so if you are looking for a quick , but stylish knit for you holiday knitting I can definitely recommend this one :-)

Have a good weekend and stay warm :-)

News!

Just popping in to let you know about another book that will be coming out in January...

 

I've got 2 designs in this book

 

I Love Gansey - originally from the Six sock KAL group at Yahoo

and

 Gothic Temptress knee highs. Isn't the photography wonderful!

You can pre order it here

 

It's Been a while

But I have a good excuse!

I've been sick - apparently for a while, but like most women I have just kept going until the body said Enough!

The doc signed me off for a few days to try and shake this virus I seem to have picked up and I'm getting there slowly

The main problem for me is that I seem to have no energy. I'm quite happy to sit in my chair and knit, but any more than that is just too much effort - and that includes the blog ;-(

I have been knitting, but most of it is design work so I can't show it to you - but I have started a tank for me to wear at work - the weather has definitely taken a turn for the worst - it's not raining or anything - it's just cold...

I'm knitting Bramblewood

The yarn is another new one to me it is by Wendy , is called Serenity and is a wool /alpaca blend in a heathered grey.

It's growing quite quickly - or it would if I was knitting on it, but I'm deep in the designing and knitting of the next KAL for the Unique Sheep.

I've knitted one prototype - It's lovely,but I'm not happy with it so I'm doing another ( did I tell you I'm a sucker for punishment) :-)

Meanwhile I am spending the weekend doing as little as possible to try and kill this thing off - well that's my excuse ;-)

More Socks!

Was it really over 2 weeks since I last came up for air?

In that time, my daughter came home for a brief visit, we both celebrated our birthdays - she is no longer a teenager - and I have been knitting to help with the stress of trying to keep a whole schools IT running between two of us :-)

I showed you Fangs for the memory last time - I have another sock for this KAL and it is coming out tomorrow ( so I'll give you a sneak preview) ;-)

The sock is simply called Eric

The yarn was sent to me a while back from Laura at the Unique Sheep and in honour of the sock pattern she has called it Eric's Eyes.

But who is Eric? I hear you cry

This is Eric ;-)

1000 year old Vampire from the True Blood series by HBO based on the Sookie Stackhouse books

The pattern was inspired by a remark in one of the books that Eric had remarkable blue eyes. The side panels have his name written in ancient Viking runes and the cables are meant to evoke the ropes on Viking Dragon boats - Geeky - you bet :-)

Knitted in Sushi Sock by the Unique Sheep on 2.5mm needles.

The pattern is free and will be available on the Scary sock Group on Ravelry sometime tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be back again a little more frequently - see you soon

It's All About Socks.....

Although my blogging has been sadly sparse of late, mainly due to pressure of work, I have been busy on the knitting front as always :-)

I have more new designs

You may have seen this book around?

 

Yeah I've got one in there too :-)

 

Last of the Red Hot Lovers

Lots of valentine cables and lovers knots - these were such fun to design. They went to the publishers over a year ago so you can imagine my surprise when not only did the socks , but also a complimentary copy of the book arrived ( which of course I scoured from cover to cover - there are some fabulous designs in there I want to knit - just need to find the time! whaaah! ( yes I am whining a little).

This is the problem that I am sure many designers face when what used to be their hobby begins to be your job. You are so busy designing, swatching and test knitting you own designs you never get time to knit anybody else's :-)

I have yarn for three vests for work - I also have yarn for 3 T-shirts that I was going to knit for the summer ( not that we had much of a summer this year) I wonder if I will actually get any of the vests knitted...

I am determined to try and may cast on one of them this weekend as my carry around project. I'm working on the prototype of Enchanted Wood Shawl for the new Mystery KAL in January and that requires access to the laptop for the charts and a stable surface to put the beads and the crochet hook on, so not the easiest of travelling projects:-).

My current travelling projects are  finished.

There will be a new shalwette design in the next week - just need to do a photo shoot on the beach  and the other project you can see below

Fangs for the Memory

A top down simple sock with a garter st short row heel and toe and two little fang holes just above the ankle.

This is the latest challenge sock in the Scary Sock KAL on Ravlery

Knitted in Tausendschön Handgefärbte Sockenwolle Merino/Nylon
Colourway: Venus on 2.5mm Dpns

You can get it here

It's a free download so enjoy :-)

Have a good weekend